According to a 2013 letter obtained by the Herald from Shelbina City Attorney John Wilcox, former city marshal Daniel Dovin resigned that year after Wilcox approached him with an allegation of sexual misconduct.

Dovin, who is on the ballot again this April running for city marshal, vehemently denied the claim.

In the November 2013 letter addressed to Sheriff Dennis Perrigo, Wilcox told the sheriff about a complaint from a woman who said Dovin harassed her and on one occasion smacked her backside.

“[The victim] alleged that Chief Dovin made inappropriate and unwanted contact with her by slapping her buttocks,” Wilcox said in the letter. “She further alleged that when she told him to stop he told her not to complain because she knew she really liked it.”

At a later date, Dovin allegedly obtained the woman’s cell phone number and called her, telling her that even though her husband wouldn’t give Dovin her number, “I just wanted you to know I could get it anyway.”

Wilcox said that after he approached Dovin with the allegations, Dovin resigned his position. As city attorney, Wilcox said he no longer had any reason to continue the investigation.

In a statement to the Herald, Shelbina Mayor Al Dimmitt said that after Dovin’s resignation, the victim did not want to pursue criminal charges, and so no referral was made to a law enforcement agency. Dimmitt said the proper procedure was followed for a complaint against a city official in Dovin’s case.

Dovin’s complete statement of denial is below:

A document that is full of hearsay, inaccurate and unsubstantiated information was written 7 months AFTER my resignation. This document was then given to the Shelby County Sheriff's Department along with a verbal request for an investigation to the Sheriff from John Wilcox, Shelbina City Attorney. Absolutely no charges were ever filed after an investigation was conducted. Keep in mind, the Shelbina City Attorney made this request on November 26, 2013. Wilcox made this request t o an agency that he obviously felt was adequate in conducting the investigation. November 26, 2013 was approximately two weeks prior to the opening for the registration of the April 2014 Municipal Election in which Marshal Fenton was getting to run for his first election. The only conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the intent of the release of this information at that time was again a coerced smear campaign for which the City of Shelbina felt I would probably run in. It was never my intention to file for candidacy or to run for City Marshal in 2014.

I want to make sure it is known that at the time of my resignation, I resigned my office for personal reasons.

Four years and four months later, after I have filed my candidacy for City Marshal in the April 2018 election, this information was released to a media outlet. I find it such a blatantly obvious smear campaign.

My goal is to serve the citizens of Shelbina in the same professional manner that I had done prior to my resignation. I hope that everyone can see the release of these documents for what it is, an inaccurate attempt to sway the public's opinion.